Convict's Captive
by groveland gal
Summary: Yeah, it's been awhile since I've updated. Hope you like the latest chapter in Riddick's quest to find Jack, as he's accompanied by her longlost sister, Kylie. He discovers Kylie is everything Jack isn't...
1. Chapter 1

CHAPTER ONE

A violent jarring motion woke Kylie from a sleep plagued by nightmares. She had dreamt again of him. Despite the fact she had never even seen the criminal known as Richard B. Riddick, let alone met him, she felt she knew him all too well.

Whether she was awake or asleep, he haunted her thoughts. After all, it was Riddick who was responsible for the disappearance of her sister, Kyra. Never mind that until four years ago, she hadn't even known her sister existed. But the knowledge that she had a twin sister who had been sent away at birth had irrevocably altered her life.

She had spent the past four years retracing Kyra's footsteps, trying to glean some knowledge of her sister's whereabouts. The only thing she knew for certain was that she had once gone by the name of Jack, and had traveled in the company of Riddick. Until he abandoned her, that is. Left her alone in a galaxy fraught with danger.

Kylie had heard the rumors; her sister had run away to join up with a group of ruthless mercenaries. Now she was determined to find her and bring her home to Axion, where she belonged. Where she would claim her birthright as the monarch's younger daughter.

As the drugging effects of cryo-sleep slowly loosened its grasp on her brain, Kylie became aware of a strident alarm and brilliant red strobe lights that pierced the darkness around her. She was lying in a cryo-chamber, wearing only a thin sleep suit that covered her limbs like a slick silver membrane.

It was then she remembered; she was aboard the Dauntless, a ship that had been chartered to transport herself and two other dignitaries to the planet Helion Minor. As she struggled to come fully awake, she realized the ship's crisis alert system had been activated.

Kylie fumbled for the button beneath her fingers and finding it, pushed hard. Immediately, the protective glass enclosure that surrounded her slid open. She sat up, groaning at the unaccustomed stiffness of her limbs. Without the buffering cocoon of glass, the noise of the alarm was deafening.

Kylie swung her legs to the ground and as the ship lurched sideways, gasped and flung out a hand to brace herself. Except for the pulsating red warning lights that punctuated the blackness around her, the ship was dark.

She stumbled her way along the narrow passageway, groping for handholds as the ship bucked and plunged beneath her. She reached the next sleeping pod and searched for the release button on the control panel. The glass enclosure slid open and an interior light revealed the chamber's grisly contents.

Kylie recoiled in horror.

The body of the Vice Regent was shriveled and dehydrated almost beyond recognition, and with a sense of shock Kylie realized there had been an air leak in the pod's ventilation system. She guessed the Vice Regent had been dead for most of the two months they had been in transit.

Stifling a sob, Kylie stumbled on to the next pod and pressed the release. The enclosure slid back and the interior light came on, revealing the smooth, unblemished features of the pilot. In sleep, she looked impossibly young; incapable of having enough years to have acquired the reputation of being one of the best pilots in the known galaxies.

Captain Shona Terran blinked and came awake, staring up at Kylie in confusion. Then, as comprehension slowly came over her and she became aware of the strident alarm and strobe lights, she gasped and sat up.

"What's happening?"

The ship pitched violently, nearly throwing the pilot from the sleeping pod. Kylie grasped her shoulders, steadying her. "I'm not sure. I woke up to the alarms going off. Thank God you're alive; the Vice Regent is dead."

"What?"

"It looks like his air ventilation system was compromised."

Captain Terran swung her legs out of the sleeping pod to the floor. She wore a similar suit to Kylie's, and it clung to her slender form like a second skin. Without pausing, she raced down the corridor toward the cockpit, arms outflung to steady herself.

"Check the Chancellor," she called back over her shoulder to Kylie.

Kylie had almost reached the next sleeping pod when the ship rolled steeply to the left, pitching her into the wall. She lost her balance and fell heavily to the floor, sprawling gracelessly in the middle of the aisle. Pushing herself to her feet, she crawled her way to the next pod, trying to ignore the sharp fear that was rising within her.

The Dauntless was one of the newest models in a series of small, highly intelligent intergalactic transporters; an elite craft capable of traversing light years with only a minimum of human intervention. That it should now be in distress could only mean a worst case scenario that Kylie didn't want to think about.

She reached the next sleeping pod and released the chamber, gratified when the person inside moaned softly and stirred. It was the Chancellor, a wizened man who had been in the service of the Regent for longer than Kylie had been alive. He, along with the dead Vice Regent, had been part of a diplomatic envoy to Helion Minor to negotiate trade terms with the planet.

It was to be a major coup for their home planet of Axion to finally have an alternate source for acquiring the cobalt and titanium they needed to sustain their technology. As heiress to the Axion monarchy, Kylie would accompany the dignitaries to Helion Minor as a gesture of good faith. She hadn't been keen on the idea, but when she'd heard rumors that Kyra and her pack of bounty hunters had been spotted on the planet, she had swiftly changed her mind. Now she thought she'd gladly remain on Helion Minor if they could just reach it intact.

"Lord Chancellor," she called, scrambling to her knees beside the old man's sleeping pod. "Our ship is in distress. You must come with me to the forward cabin. Can you walk?"

The old man was sitting up in his pod, blinking at his surroundings in confusion. "Are we there? Have we arrived? Why is the atmosphere so turbulent?" He gave a hoarse cry as the ship bucked violently. "What is happening?"

"I don't know," Kylie replied, "but it's not safe for you to remain here. We must secure ourselves in the forward cabin."

She slid an arm around the man's frail shoulders and together they made their way down the corridor. After ensuring the Chancellor was zipped into a survival suit and strapped into a seat, Kylie staggered toward the cockpit.

Captain Terran had strapped herself into the pilot's seat and was frantically punching coordinates and commands into the ship's control panel. In front of them, nearly filling the entire window, was a planet that was rapidly growing larger as the Dauntless hurtled toward it. The planet was almost completely swathed in a shroud of blue-white clouds that obscured the surface.

"What's happening?" Kylie gasped, clutching the overhead hand grips to maintain her balance.

"We've been struck by something; a comet, I think. We have a hull breach. Damned thing punched a hole in our rear stabilizer and I can't bring the ship back to an even trajectory. Now we're being sucked toward this planet--I've never encountered such a strong gravity pull before!"

"Can we survive reentry?"

The ship began to shudder, and behind her, Kylie heard a deep groaning as part of the craft protested the enormous forces exerted on its outer shell.

The ship's automated command center began to drone their coordinates in an eerily androgenous voice, lacking any inflection or emotion. "Approaching planet Fresion. Estimated time to impact: 180 seconds. Shutting down rocket boosters. Implementing crash sequence."

"Not if I have anything to say about it," growled Captain Terran, grasping the control stick and hauling back on it . "C'mon, you bitch! Steady!" She threw a fierce glance back at Kylie. "Strap yourself in, Your Highness. This is going to be a nasty landing!"

The ship shuddered once more, and suddenly they were engulfed in a blanket of shooting flames as they entered the planet's atmosphere. Stumbling back toward the cabin, Kylie flung herself into the empty seat across the aisle from the Chancellor and punched a button that brought a heavily padded harness down over her torso, effectively trapping her into the seat.

She closed her eyes and gritted her teeth against the violent rattling of the ship, certain the craft would fly apart under the pressure of their reentry. She heard the captain give a hoarse cry, but of fear or frustration, she couldn't tell.

She opened her eyes just in time to see the cloud banks that obscured the planet from view break away before their hurtling descent. The surface of the planet rushed up to meet them, and in the instant before everything went black, Kylie saw nothing but the white, frozen wasteland that was Fresion, and knew they were doomed.


	2. Chapter 2

CHAPTER TWO

Kylie was first aware of being cold. Very cold. Opening her eyes, she found herself staring through a ragged hole in the ship at a sky that was a dull, pewter gray.

Light flakes of snow fell through the opening and landed on her face. The smell of proton fuel hung heavy on the frigid air and the interior of the ship was rapidly filling with cloying, black smoke.

She was lying on her back, still strapped into her safety harness. The seat itself had been ripped from the floor and she found she was resting on what had once been the ceiling of the craft. Something heavy and unyielding lay across her body, and looking down, she realized the Chancellor was sprawled completely across her, covering her.

"Lord Chancellor," she croaked, and pushed weakly at him.

He didn't budge.

Kylie didn't think she had sustained any life-threatening injuries, but her head felt as if she had just been bludgeoned. Reaching up, she inspected a painful area over her ear and grimaced when her hand came away covered in blood. She pushed harder at the Chancellor's limp body, gratified when he rolled off her.

He lay staring with sightless eyes through the hole in the ceiling, and Kylie could see his neck had been broken, probably when the force of the crash had torn him free from his safety harness.

She forced down the panic that was beginning to swell in her chest and instead concentrated on releasing the safety clasp on her harness. Her fingers were numb, nearly frozen with cold and it was several minutes before she succeeded in freeing herself.

Rolling weakly away from the chair, she raised herself up on her arms and tried to orient herself. The smoke was thicker now, rolling toward her from the rear of the ship. She was shaking, trembling with cold from the plummeting temperature. She had to locate a survival suit or she would freeze to death. That is, if the fuel-rich fumes didn't kill her first.

Crawling toward the rear of the ship where the sleeping pods were now on the ceiling above her, she located the locker where the survival suits were kept and succeeded in dragging one down from where it was stored.

Shivering, she thrust her arms and legs into the suit and drew the headgear over her face, fastening it securely into place. Almost immediately, she felt warmth seeping back into her icy limbs. The chemical suit was activated by the carbon dioxide she expelled with each breath. So long as she kept breathing, the suit would continue to maintain her body temperature, regardless of how bitter cold the environment around her became. The headpiece, a thick hood with a tinted plastic face visor, wasn't exactly glamorous, but it would keep the wind and snow out.

Climbing over the interior wreckage of the ship, Kylie carefully made her way toward the cockpit.

It was empty.

The windows had been blown out from force of the crash, and the interior was littered with debris. Kylie was turning away, dismayed by the fact she seemed to be the sole survivor, when a moan came from beneath a flap of dislodged structural paneling on the far side of the cockpit.

She clambered across the debris-strewn floor and shoved the metal paneling aside. Captain Terran lay unconscious beneath it, her sleep suit shredded and splattered with blood. As she bent over the other woman, Kylie was saw a long sliver of metal had pierced through the captain's shoulder and effectively impaled her to the floor. It was needle thin and razor sharp.

If Kylie were to save the captain, she would first need to remove the object. Already, the pilot's skin had a bluish tinge to it, and small patches of white were beginning to appear on her cheeks and hands. Frostbite was beginning to set in and Kylie needed to get the other woman into a survival suit.

She wasn't squeamish by nature, but she had little practical experience in dressing field wounds. She grimaced in self-disgust. As a member of the Axion royal family, her experiences ran more toward diplomatic dinner parties and dog and pony shows.

She could see pulling the sliver of metal out by hand was out of the question. She would need some kind of tool, like a pair of pliers. She also had to locate a medical kit. The captain was going to need morphine.

Scrambling back through the cockpit, she was preparing to go aft in search of a survival suit and tools, when something beyond the shattered windows caught her attention.

She narrowed her eyes and peered across the frozen wasteland that surrounded the crash site. The terrain was treacherous, bisected with a seemingly endless maze of twisting crevasses and sinkholes. A lone figure moved swiftly across the deadly landscape, negotiating the dangerous ravines and gorges with seemingly effortless grace.

Even from a distance, Kylie could see he was enormous. His long cape swirled around him as he leaped across the perilous crevasses. He was closing the distance between himself and the Dauntless at a frightening pace, and with purposeful intent. Kylie knew she should be grateful to see another human being; she had thought the planet Fresion to be completely uninhabited.

But somehow, the sight of the man who drew ever closer filled her with a nameless dread. She was certain of one thing; this man was no savior.


	3. Chapter 3

CHAPTER THREE

Kylie heard his footsteps as he entered the space craft through the breached hull and cautiously made his way through the wreckage. His footfalls were quiet, almost undetectable in the surrounding silence, but Kylie knew he was there.

She held her breath and pressed herself closer against the wall. She had hidden herself behind an interior support beam, but it wouldn't be long before she was discovered.

A shadow fell across the wall opposite her.

She froze and clutched the steel length of pipe she held tighter. As a weapon it was pretty pathetic, but it was all she had. Her heartbeat pounded hotly in her ears until she was certain the intruder--whoever he was--would surely hear it. She thought briefly of Captain Terran, lying on the cockpit floor and slowly freezing to death. She couldn't let that happen.

With a deep cry of primal fear, she leaped out from behind the post, the bar raised threateningly over her head, prepared to do battle with whatever menace waited.

She blinked.

The corridor was empty.

Suddenly, from behind her, a steely arm clamped itself across her chest and hauled her back against an unyielding body, nearly lifting her feet from the floor. She caught the glint of a blade as it was pressed against her throat.

The swiftness of the assault astonished her. She hadn't heard a thing; had no sense of anyone behind her. The steel pipe fell to the floor with a clatter. Her hands grasped at her attacker's forearm, clawing at his flesh in a desperate attempt to stay the knife that was pressed against her neck. Beneath the coarse, heavy fabric, his arm was layered with corded muscle.

Kylie tried to twist around enough to see who held her, but the headpiece of the thermal survival suit obscured her vision. Her breath caught when her attacker suddenly bent his head and inhaled deeply, following the line of her shoulder upward, along her neck, to her jaw.

"Mmm," he growled softly in her ear. "It's been a long time since I've smelled female."

His voice was a deep, low rumble.

Shivers chased themselves down Kylie's spine. "What do you want?" She hated the way her own voice sounded. Like she was scared.

Her captor gave a low laugh and bent his head close to her ear, his voice a husky rasp. "I don't think you want to know what I want." He thrust her abruptly away. "What I need, now that's something different. I need whatever power cells weren't destroyed in the crash."

Kylie staggered when he released her and flung out a hand to steady herself. Her mind worked frantically. The only reason he could have for wanting their power cells would be to power another ship. And if he did, indeed, have another ship stashed somewhere on this frozen rock, there was no way he was leaving without her and the captain. She turned to face him, the tinted face shield of her thermal suit giving him an eerie bluish tint.

He was enormous; a giant of a man with thick dreadlocks that hung down past his powerful shoulders. Chunks of ice clung to his hair and eyebrows, and a long, ice-encrusted beard obscured most of his face. The long, tattered cloak he wore was covered in a frozen coating of snow. He wore thick layers of heavy, coarse clothing that made him seem even more immense.

But most unnerving of all were the small, dark goggles he wore. She didn't need to see his eyes, however, to know he was watching her. His gaze was like a palpable thing, making her grateful for the encompassing thermal suit that effectively shielded her curves from his scrutiny. Which made her recall why she had come to the aft cabin in the first place.

"There's a—a passenger," she stammered. "She's been injured, and if I don't get her into a survival suit, she'll die."

The intruder didn't indicate by word or gesture that he even heard her. He had tilted his head back and was slowly surveying their surroundings. Kylie didn't think his eyes, hidden behind the goggles, missed anything.

Kylie frowned at him. "Did you hear me? I have to help the other passenger." She made a helpless gesture. "I—I don't know where the power cells are." Her gaze shifted to the lockers directly over his head, where the survival suits were stored. "Do you—do you think you could hand me one of those?"

He turned his head back in her direction, and Kylie forced herself not to cringe. Instead, she tipped her chin up and stared boldly back at the dark goggles. She knew he would have trouble seeing her face clearly through the tinted face plate. Fine. Let him see what it felt like.

Without taking his gaze from her, he reached up with one hand and yanked a suit down from the overhead locker. He tossed it to her, and before Kylie could utter a word, turned and made his way toward the rear of the ruined craft.

With narrowed eyes, Kylie watched him disappear. Her heart continued to pound rapidly in her chest. She turned back toward the cockpit. Captain Terran was conscious, but just barely. She rolled her eyes toward Kylie when she bent down beside her.

"Wha--?"

"Shh." Kylie worked the other woman's legs into the survival suit and pulled it up to her waist. She worked swiftly and kept one eye on the door to the cockpit. "I'm going to get you out of here."

Captain Terran moaned softly, and fumbled at the length of metal that had impaled her shoulder. "Shit…what the hell…?"

"Listen to me." Kylie spoke softly and urgently to the captain as she struggled to work the survival suit higher. "There's a man on board…a strange man. He's come to take our power cells."

Captain Terran stared at Kylie in bemusement. "A man…?" She was shivering uncontrollably and her speech was slurred. Her gaze shifted to some point beyond Kylie, and her pupils dilated. She made a gasping sound, but no words came out.

"Shh. Don't talk." Kylie bent over the captain's body, probing the entry wound of the metal sliver. "I don't know who he is, but I think he may have a ship somewhere on this planet." She cast an uneasy glance to where the man had vanished, keeping her voice low. "If he intends to leave, we're going with him. But first, we have to get this damned thing out of your shoulder."

She grasped the sliver with her gloved hand and tugged. Captain Terran moaned, but the sliver of metal didn't budge.

Kylie gasped in pain and snatched her hand back, staring in dismay to where the sharp metal had sliced cleanly through the fabric of the glove, to her hand. Blood seeped from a gash across the palm of her hand.

"I can't get it out," she whispered in horror. "I can't--"

"Because you're soft…very soft. And you don't have the right technique."

The deep voice came from directly over her head, and with a gasp, Kylie fell back. That was twice she hadn't heard him come right up behind her. The intruder leaned over her and with one gloved hand, grasped the metal shard, twisted it once, and yanked it free. He flung it away.

Captain Terran's eyes were closed, and she moaned softly. Blood began to ooze from the wound, and Kylie quickly wrapped it with material torn from the Captain's sleep suit.

"C'mon," she encouraged softly, "sit up and I'll help you put your thermal suit on." She supported the Captain's shoulders and together they worked her arms into the suit. Kylie pulled the headgear closed and secured the fastenings, and the Captain collapsed back against the wall with a grateful gasp.

Kylie leaned back on her heels and stared up at the man. He loomed over her. Behind him, near the breach in the hull, were two power cells. He had secured them onto a makeshift sled that looked suspiciously like one of their sleeping pods.

"I see you've found what you were looking for." Kylie indicated the power cells. "So, I'm guessing you have a dud ship out there that needs power. Considering how you've helped yourself to what's ours, I'd say you owe us one."

The man smiled, but Kylie was convinced that it didn't reach his eyes. "You're welcome to ride with me," he said, "if you don't mind traveling with a convicted murderer."

Fear laced through Kylie. A murderer? Why would a murderer be stranded on Fresion? Hiding out, she guessed. Why else would anyone be on this God-forsaken chunk of ice? The last thing she wanted was to travel with him, but she had no other options.

"Fine. Give me a hand with her. We can strap her onto that sled with the power cells."

The man turned and walked toward the sled. "I only have room for one of you." He angled a look back over his shoulder at her. "You decide which one."

Kylie leaped to her feet and strode after him. "What are you talking about? You'll take both of us, or I'll--I'll destroy those power cells!"

With a suddenness that stole her breath, he turned and pinned her against the wall. His body was pressed against hers so that despite the thermal suit, she could feel the coldness that seeped from him. He was close enough that his breath against her face plate caused it to fog, clear, then fog again.

"What are you going to do, Princess?" His voice was gently mocking. "Destroy them by royal decree? I don't think so."

Kylie stared at him. "What are you talking about?"

"There were four people on board this ship. The ship's roster tells me there was one pilot, two dignitaries and one Princess Kylie of Axion traveling to the Helion System. One of your dignitaries flat-lined before you ever made it out of your own galaxy. The other dignitary died in the crash. That leaves just the pilot and the princess." He paused. "And you sure as hell ain't no pilot."

He released her.

Kylie bent over, gasping for breath. "Who I am doesn't matter." She raised her eyes and looked at him. "Please. Take us both."

He turned and gazed out toward the frozen tundra that surrounded them. "No room for a third passenger. I travel light."

Desperate, Kylie laid a hand on his arm. "If it's a matter of weight, then the two of us combined don't equal your own weight. If your craft can take two large men, then surely it can take one large man and two small women." She paused. "You can't just leave us here to die."

He looked pointedly down at her hand on his arm. Kylie snatched it back. He continued to stare at the bloodied palm-print she'd left on his sleeve. "Fine. If you can keep up, then you can come along. I set the pace."

Kylie nodded her agreement and turned back to Captain Terran. She wrapped an arm around the other woman's waist, helping her to her feet.

"Oh, and Princess?"

Kylie turned back to where the man was strapping himself into a harness hitched to the sled. "What?"

"Just so we're straight on one thing...I don't take orders from any man. Or woman. So long as you're with me, you play by my rules. Got it?"

Kylie nodded. She'd abide by his rules. For now. But once they reached the Helion System, the rules were going to change.

She'd make sure of that.


	4. Chapter 4

CHAPTER FOUR

Outside the relative protection of the ship's wreckage, a storm was brewing. The wind was fierce. While the thermal insulation of her survival suit kept the frigid temperature at bay, Kylie was helpless against the powerful gusts of wind that threatened to drive to her knees.

She and Captain Terran clung to each other as they followed the stranger across the barren landscape. He kept his head down and dug his feet in, fighting to pull the sled with its heavy cargo of power cells. His cape whipped around him. They were heading directly into the battering brunt of the winds, which made swift travel nearly impossible. Kylie wondered how the man could withstand the bitter force of the elements. He seemed impervious to the cold.

The stranger had left himself enough lead rope that he could easily leap across the treacherous ravines and then pull the sled over the narrow cracks behind him with little danger of losing it. For Kylie, however, each crevasse might as well have been a mile-wide chasm.

She and Captain Terran teetered atop a thin wall of ice, staring down into the bottomless crevasse before them. It was perhaps four feet wide, and under normal conditions Kylie would have had no difficulty in leaping across. But Captain Terran leaned heavily on her, and Kylie knew from the last several fissures they'd traversed, that she'd need to practically carry the other woman across the opening.

"Just leave me here," the pilot gasped, and tried weakly to pull free of Kylie's grasp. "I can't do this. You heard the man; if you don't keep up, you get left behind."

"No," Kylie gritted out, and tightened her grasp on Captain Terran. "I won't leave you. We can do this! Just hang on to me and I'll do the work."

The pilot laughed weakly. "You're crazy. I weigh as much if not more than you do. We'll never make it."

Kylie checked the distance across the crevasse, and knew it was going to be risky. She glanced up and saw the distance between themselves and the stranger was growing wider. If they didn't get moving, they were going to be left behind. She had wanted to rig up a sled for the Captain, like the one the stranger was using for the power cells, but there hadn't been time. He'd said he would set the pace and they'd need to keep up. He hadn't been kidding.

"Okay. Let's do this." She tightened her hold on the pilot and with a hoarse cry of effort, leaped forward, thrusting the other woman ahead of her.

She felt the far edge of the crevasse catch her across the front of her thighs, and then she was scrabbling frantically for purchase on the icy surface. Captain Terran was doing the same, but with her injured shoulder, she was having more difficulty. She'd landed with most of her torso above the edge of the crevasse, and it took little more than a hard shove from Kylie to push her fully to the surface.

Kylie felt herself slipping backwards into the dark chasm that yawned below her. Her feet sought for a foothold on the slippery smooth wall of the crevasse, even as her gloved hands clawed at the surface above. She wasn't going to make it. She was slipping.

Captain Terran flung out a hand toward her and in desperation, Kylie lunged for it. She gritted her teeth as the pilot gripped her injured hand tightly. Kylie knew the other woman must also be in considerable pain, as she was exerting stress on her own injured shoulder.

"Climb, dammit," the pilot hissed. "C'mon, you can do it."

"Ahh!" Kylie cried out in both pain and fear as she felt herself slip further. Adrenaline was coursing through her body, and she was terrified of falling backwards into the blackness below.

Captain Terran was on her stomach now, both hands wrapped around Kylie's as she tried desperately to save her. Without anything to grab onto, however, she was sliding slowly, inexorably, toward the edge of the crevasse.

"Let me go!" Kylie cried. She'd have a better chance of fighting her way to the surface with both of her hands free, but if the pilot didn't release her then they'd both plunge into the abyss.

Kicking one leg out behind her, she encountered the far side of the crevasse. Bracing her foot against the opposite wall, she managed to halt her descent, but she'd only succeeded in bridging the gap with her body. She didn't have the momentum or the upper body strength to haul herself out of the chasm.

"Okay," she gasped. "I'm okay. Let go."

The pilot released her vice-like grip on Kylie's hand and collapsed against the frozen ground. Kylie wedged herself more securely between the walls of the crevasse, debating the best way to free herself. If she released the pressure of her feet against the opposite wall, she would fall. If she let go of the surface with her hands, she would fall. It was only the pressure of her body against the two walls that kept her in place.

Suddenly, an ominous cracking sound filled the air, penetrating the sound of the wind that whipped around them. In horror, Kylie watched as a fissure appeared on the wall of ice where her feet were planted. It traveled slowly outward, around her feet, and then disappeared downward. Was it only her imagination, or did she actually feel the ice beginning to buckle beneath her boots?

The ice shattered beneath her feet and Kylie's heart lurched as her support vanished. In the next instant, she was hurtling through space. She landed heavily on her back, stunned by the impact. The wind still whipped around her, and overhead the sky was a sullen gray.

She wasn't lying at the bottom of the crevasse; she was on a patch of frozen ground just steps from where Captain Terran still lay on her stomach. A shadow fell across her, blocking out the sky, and she knew who was responsible for her rescue.

The stranger stood with arms akimbo, legs planted on either side of her, as he stared down her from behind his goggles. "Like I said before…you're soft, Princess. Very soft." His voice was softly mocking.

He extended a hand down to her, and after a moment's hesitation, Kylie took it. He hauled her effortlessly to her feet.

"Thanks." Kylie risked a glance at him, but he had already turned away. He had dragged the sled back to the crevasse with him, and now he bent and pushed both power cells to the front of the sled.

"Your pilot can ride on the sled," he said, as he began strapping himself once more into the harness. "You, Princess, get to help me pull."

As if he needed any help, Kylie thought. He positively bulged with muscles. That much was evident even beneath the layers of clothing he wore. The man was probably capable of dragging their entire ship across the planet without so much as breaking a sweat.

She suspected he wanted her up front with him to keep an eye on her and ensure she didn't fall behind. She didn't care; she was grateful to him for putting Captain Terran on the sled.

She stepped into the harness beside him, feeling dwarfed beside his broad height. With deft movements, he strapped the makeshift harness across her chest, and she could have sworn she saw him smile grimly beneath the frozen beard and moustache.

Kylie checked that Captain Terran was securely on the sled, and then nodded to the man beside her.

"Okay, Princess," he called over the force of the howling winds. "In less than an hour, this storm is going to reach tornado strength and dump two meters of snow on every surface. We need to cover ten kilometers before it hits, or we'll die out here." He paused. "Are you with me?"

Kylie drew in a deep breath. She realized that whether she wanted to be or not, she was with him all the way. After all, he held their lives in his hands.

She nodded to him. "I'm with you!"


	5. Chapter 5

CHAPTER FIVE

He knew he set a punishing pace. Beside him, the girl labored for breath as they ran across the barren tundra. Twice he'd had to reach out and steady her when she missed her footing on the frozen ground. He told himself he didn't particularly care if she fell, but he sure as hell wouldn't let her slow him down.

She represented everything he despised about the world; wealth, power and privilege. Beauty and brightness.

Weakness.

Still...there was something about her that roused a long-dormant protective instinct in him. She reminded him of her. The woman-child he'd rescued from the monsters on the desolate planet they'd crashed onto while en route to New Mecca.

It had been five years since he'd dumped the girl known as Jack on Helion Prime. He'd left her in the care of a holy man and he hadn't looked back. He'd left in order to keep her safe. At the time, he'd had mercs on his neck. He'd always have mercs on his neck. He wouldn't risk her life by letting her travel with him, though he knew that's what she had hoped for.

Maybe someday he'd go back.

He glanced over at the girl by his side. He hadn't been able to get a good look at her face due to the survival suit and the tinted face plate. He'd remedy that once they reached his ship, an antiquated if serviceable space craft he'd jacked from a merc back on Helion Prime.

He'd been headed for the distant Calonion system when he'd run into a meteor shower that had forced him down onto this bleak rock. He'd been here for five years.

He'd seen the girl's ship come in; had watched it cartwheel across the horizon in a spectacular cloud of black smoke and debris. He'd sprinted across the frigid landscape toward the wreckage, not daring to hope the craft's power cells had survived. But they had. Along with the two females.

He glanced back over his shoulder as they negotiated their way across another fissure. The pilot was unconscious. He'd seen that the last time he'd had to haul the sled over a crevasse. He knew her type; tough on the outside, but weak underneath.

The girl...she was something else. He'd smelled her fear back there in the ship, when she hadn't known what stalked her in the darkness. Still, she had chosen to confront him. She hadn't had a chance against him, of course. He'd held her effortlessly. Beneath the bulky thermal suit she wore, he had felt the curves that told him she was no child, though she seemed scarcely bigger than one.

The winds had increased in intensity and snow had begun falling in a thick, blinding blanket. Soon it would be too deep to travel through. Peering through the swirling gale, he saw a ridge of jagged rock rising up before them.

"This way!" He hauled on the harness and dragged the girl alongside as he made his way toward the ridge. The sled was heavier now as snow piled up on top of the pilot, but he scarcely noticed. They were almost there.

They were through the entrance to the cavern before he even knew they had reached it. The snow was whipping around them so fiercely he hadn't realized they'd actually reached the ridge. It was only through sheer luck they had found the narrow cleft in the rock wall that led inward to the twisting maze of tunnels and caverns he had called home for the past five years.

The blinding fall of snow ended abruptly and darkness surrounded them. He felt the girl falter and move subtly closer to him. She stiffened when he leaned toward her and released the harness strap from around her body. She was nervous. He could almost hear her heartbeat kick up a notch. He definitely heard her catch her breath when his fingers brushed briefly against her breast.

"Relax, Princess," he drawled. "I'm not in the mood."

She gasped, and he could almost see the outraged expression on her face and sense her shock. He smiled. Stepping out of the harness, he turned away from her, toward the sled. Beneath the thick layer of snow that blanketed her, the pilot was still unconscious.

"Is she...is she still alive?" The girl's voice was breathless.

"She's alive," he said dryly. Without bothering to sweep the snow aside, he hefted the woman over his shoulder. She groaned but made no other protest. "Let's move."

"Wait."

He turned back to the girl. "Is there a problem?" He sensed her hesitation.

"I--I can't see anything. Maybe...maybe I could hold onto the edge of your cape...?"

"What's the matter, Princess? I hope you're not afraid of the dark." He pushed back his goggles. In the penetrating darkness, he could see her clearly. That was the benefit of having had a shine job done on his eyes years earlier, while doing time in a slam in the Medonion system.

Jack had liked his eyes; had sworn she was going to have the same done to her own.

He wondered what the Princess would think of his eyes, once she got a good look at them. Not that it mattered. He'd be unloading her and the pilot just as soon as he could. He sure as shit didn't need the excess baggage.

"Sure," he replied in response to her hesitant query. "Hold on if you'd like. Just be sure you can let go when it's time."

He felt the pull of fabric as she grabbed a fistful of his cloak. He set out, moving quickly over the uneven terrain. A dizzying network of umbilical tunnels twisted outward from where they stood and he selected one with unerring accuracy. It wound steadily upward, sometimes so steeply he had to haul the girl along behind him. He scarcely noticed the weight of the pilot over his shoulder, but found he was acutely conscious of the woman who clung to his cloak as she struggled to keep pace.

The tunnel made one final, sharp turn and then they were in a cathedral of chiseled rock. The walls vaulted upward to an opening in the ceiling overhead, and frigid air rushed inward from outside. In the center of the enormous cavern sat a ship. It was ancient by any standards and the exterior hull bore testimony to the abuses inflicted by the last meteor shower it had endured, but once the new power cells were installed, it would get them all the hell off this rock.

He carried the pilot into the ship and lowered her into a seat behind the cockpit. Her body sagged sideways and she was in danger of sliding to the floor when the other woman rushed to support her.

"Isn't there someplace she can lay down?" He could hear the anxiety in her voice.

"Like I said, Princess, this ain't a pleasure cruise. Find something to tie her to the seat." He turned away from her. "I'm going back for the power cells. Don't touch anything while I'm gone."

He heard her small, sharp intake of breath. "You speak to me like I'm a child, which I assure you I am not!"

"No," he agreed with a sneer. "You're worse. You're a princess."


	6. Chapter 6

CHAPTER SIX

Damn him to hell, Kylie thought, as she scrabbled about on the floor, searching in the darkness for something--anything--to secure Captain Terran into her seat. Without power, the overhead harness wouldn't work, and the pilot's limp body seemed determined to end up on the floor.

Kylie stood up and then cursed as she whacked her head on a protruding instrumentation panel. Despite the fact she couldn't see a blessed thing, her senses told her the ship was extremely small and ill-equipped. Even if the salvaged power cells were sufficient to get the ship operational again, Kylie doubted the integrity of the small craft to get them safely off the planet. It would no doubt disintegrate before they reached the planet's outer atmosphere.

She groped her way through the small cockpit to the door of the craft, feeling suffocated by the cloying blanket of darkness that enveloped her. At least outside the ship, a small amount of light filtered its way down into the cavern from the overhead opening in the rock. Peering up, she could see the storm still raged outside, and she was grateful for the protection of the caves.

How long had the man been stranded on this planet? How had he survived? Now that she was faced with the uncertainty of traveling with him, her doubts increased. Was he even to be trusted? She knew nothing about him except he seemed to have an uncanny ability to negotiate his way through the pitch black with unerring ease. That, and an ability to annoy and insult her.

She recalled his last, contemptuous words to her, letting her know he held no regard or respect for royalty. That was fine with her; she'd always viewed her familial ties as more of a hindrance than a blessing, but to insinuate she was little more than a child was in itself insulting. After all, she'd traveled through nameless galaxies in pursuit of her sister, had encountered numerous dangers and survived countless situations that might have killed a less resourceful person.

She wasn't soft, despite what he thought. And she was certainly no child. With a frustrated groan, she was about to turn and reenter the ship when a noise captured her attention. Peering into the darkness beyond the small craft, she made out the bulky shape of the man as he returned. He had slung a power cell over each broad shoulder and was making his way toward the ship at a leisurely jog. Kylie snorted in disbelief. This was no man. He was a freaking machine, seemingly tireless and capable of endless strength. Just the task of running the ten kilometers from the Dauntless to the caverns had exhausted what energy reserves she had, yet this man seemed unfazed by the effort.

She stepped back as he pushed past her. "That didn't take you long," she commented.

"Didn't have you hanging onto my shirttails," he replied in a lightly mocking tone.

"You know," she said, undeterred, "you might actually find yourself grateful to have me along."

"Oh yeah? Why is that?" He had moved to the rear of the ship and she could hear the clanging of metal as he worked to install the power cells.

"I have connections."

His disdainful laughter echoed eerily back to her. "Which is exactly why I'm dumping your ass on the first habitable planet we come across. Before long, this galaxy will be swarming with imperial star ships looking for their lost princess and her diplomatic entourage. Not to mention the salvage crews who'll be looking to bring your ship in for prize money." His voice dripped with derision. "No thanks, Princess. Those kinds of connections I can do without."

"I could offer you immunity."

"From what?"

"Whatever crimes you've committed. The fact that you've rescued me has to count for something."

"I haven't rescued you yet, Princess," he said sardonically.

Kylie heard a heavy metallic thump, as if he kicked the power cells, and then gasped when the auxiliary power units suddenly surged to life, and the cabin lights began to flicker. For the first time since entering the ship, she could see clearly. It was even smaller--and more primitive--than she had imagined. Beside her, Captain Terran still slumped unmoving in her chair. The man was standing in front of the power panels, making some final adjustments to the connections. In the narrow confines of the ship, he was enormous.

Seeming satisfied that everything was operational, he turned toward her.

Kylie gasped and fell back. He had pushed his goggles up and off his face and as he looked at her, she saw his eyes were unlike any she had ever seen before. They glowed with an eerie silver sheen, as if backlit by an unseen light source.

"Who--who are you?" Kylie's heart was thumping madly, for she feared she already knew the answer. Her mind was racing, piecing together what she knew of the man who stood before her and what she knew of him.

Richard B. Riddick. Convict. Murderer.

They couldn't possibly be one and the same. Cound they? She'd heard the stories about Riddick and his spooky eyes. It was said he preferred the darkness to light; could actually see better in the pitch black than most people could in daylight. That and the fact he hadn't been seen or heard from in nearly five years...

He stopped just short of her. "You sure you want to know?"

Kylie stared up at him, feeling the color drain from her face. "I...I think I do know." Her voice was scarcely more than a harsh whisper. "You're Riddick. Aren't you? "

He stilled. His brows drew together, and he took a step closer. He leaned slightly toward her until mere inches separated them, and Kylie could have sworn he was inhaling her scent.

"Yeah," he finally breathed, staring down at her. "I'm Riddick. The real question is...who the fuck are you?"

Kylie's heart was beating so fast she thought he must surely hear it. His face was drawn into harsh lines as he studied her. She couldn't find her voice. She couldn't even move. She was frozen. As if time itself had slowed, she watched him reach out and flip open the small latch that secured her hood. He pushed the visor back from her face and dragged the hood away from her hair.

He stared at her for a long moment, the expression in his silvery eyes inscrutable. His gaze traveled slowly over her features, missing nothing. Kylie stared back at him, feeling beads of perspiration pop out on her forehead despite the frigid temperature. Nervously, she ran the tip of her tongue over her lips. For a scant instant, his eyes seemed riveted on that small movement. A muscle worked in his jaw.

Before Kylie could utter a word in explanation, he grabbed a fistful of her thermal suit and lifted her off her feet, thrusting her back up against the wall. His face was scant inches from hers. He smelled like the outdoors; like the clean, cold smell of snow and ice mingled with leather and damp wool, and beneath that, the masculine scent that was his alone. Her nostrils flared as she breathed him in. He made a small growling noise and thrust her harder against the wall.

"So tell me, do I call you Princess or Jack?"

"I--I'm not Jack," she finally managed to gasp. "She's my sister; her real name is Kyra. I've been looking for her for almost four years now. I was hoping you could tell me where to find her."

Slowly, Riddick lowered her down until her feet touched the floor, but he didn't move away. Kylie stiffened when he reached out and picked up a tendril of her hair. He fingered the silken strands for a moment, before lifting them to his face and breathing in their fragrance. His eyes never left hers.

"Interesting," he drawled softly. "Very, very interesting."


	7. Chapter 7

CHAPTER SEVEN

Riddick released the girl and turned away. He felt like he'd been kicked squarely in the teeth. He was stunned. For an instant—just one, brief mind-blowing instant—he'd really thought it was her. He'd been filled with a blinding rush of relief at seeing her safe and whole, and then fury at the thought of her leaving Helion Prime alone. To look for him. But then, at the same instant his head had believed her to be Jack, his body had recognized the truth.

She wasn't Jack.

Jack had been a kid when he'd last seen her, no more than thirteen years old. She'd been skinny, bald, and completely in awe of him. While he realized she would have grown up in the past five years, he couldn't for a second imagine himself having the physical reaction to her that he'd just had for this girl.

He raked a hand over his hair.

He'd come close to kissing her. Shit. Kissing be damned. He'd wanted to consume her; to tear her clothes from her body and take her like the outlaw he was.

Jerking his goggles down over his eyes, he glanced back at the girl. While she looked amazingly like the little hellion whose ass he'd saved five years earlier, there were subtle differences. Like her eyes. Jack's eyes had always been guarded as she tried to fool those around her into believing she was a boy. Even after her secret had been discovered, she had been full of false bravado and defiance, determined to prove herself. Riddick had admired the kid's spunk.

But this girl was different. Oh, there was bravado and defiance in her eyes, sure. But there was none of the youthful hero worship that Jack had demonstrated from the time she'd first laid eyes on him. He hadn't been oblivious to her youthful infatuation with him, but neither had he felt the slightest inclination to do anything about it. She'd been a kid, and despite her proud arrogance, had been vulnerable and alone. If anything, he saw her as an irritating but appealing younger sister. He intended to find her, once he was off this slab of ice, and make sure she was staying out of trouble.

But this girl...she was something completely different. Because what he'd felt for her in those brief seconds he'd been pressed against her had nothing to do with sibling affection.

She was still leaning against the wall, staring at him with a dazed look in her eyes, her breathing coming in fitful gasps. As he stared at her, one of her hands crept up to her mouth as if she were remembering how close he'd come to crushing her soft lips beneath his own.

"Shit," he muttered savagely, and swung away from her to settle himself into the captain's seat. "Strap yourself in, Princess, it's going to be a rough ride." His voice sounded harsh, even to his own ears.

He sensed her hesitation when she finally lowered herself into the seat beside him and brought the safety harness down across her chest. She'd pulled her gloves off, and he could see her slender fingers curled around the armrests, the knuckles white with tension.

"So," she finally managed, her voice husky, "where to now?"

He flipped the engines on and was gratified when they roared to life, causing the small craft to vibrate. He spared her one pointed look before turning his attention back to the control panel. "First," he grated, "I'm dumping you and your friend on the nearest planet. Then I'm going after your sister."

He heard her swiftly indrawn breath. "I want to come with you."

"I'm sure you do," he drawled, "but it ain't gonna happen. You're a liability."

Any response she might have made was drowned out by the sound of the engines as he thrust them into full gear, and then the entire craft tipped back as he angled it, nose up, toward the opening in the cavern overhead. He didn't pause, but thrust hard on the acceleration lever, gratified when they shot toward the opening at a dizzying speed. Then they were free of the cavern and streaking through the snowbound skies toward space. It was only when they had exited the atmosphere surrounding Fresion and he was able to level the craft out, that he felt the tension in his body slowly start to uncoil.

Goddamn, he'd done it. He was finally free of the frozen planet that had kept him prisoner for the past five years. Beside him, the girl released her harness. He heard her let out a long, grateful breath and sensed her relief at being underway once more. Although he didn't look over at her, he was acutely aware when she reached up to unfasten her survival suit, pushing the bulky layers down over her shoulders and off her arms. Then she stood up and shoved the suit down the length of her body, stepping out of it. As she bent to retrieve it, Riddick spared her one, swift glance.

His breath caught.

Any thought of her resembling Jack completely vanished. The silver flight suit clung to her body and resembled slick, sheeting water whenever she moved. The effect was mesmerizing. Her dark hair tumbled down her back in rich, glossy waves. He remembered how soft those silken skeins had felt between his fingers. She was slender, but curved in all the right places. There was nothing remotely childlike about her. He could smell her. It was an intoxicating mixture of soap, sweat, and the feminine fragrance that was hers alone. He was reminded uncomfortably of how long he'd gone without a woman. Too long.

The girl settled herself back into the seat, although she made no move to refasten the safety harness. "What can I do to persuade you to take me with you?" Her voice was low, and her eyes were shadowed. Cautious.

He knew then she was willing to do just about anything to go with him. Riddick smiled slowly, and let his gaze drift over her. "I don't know," he said, his voice husky and threaded with suggestion, "but I'm sure I'll think of something."


	8. Chapter 8

CHAPTER EIGHT

Kylie's breath caught at the frankly sexual suggestion in his voice. She felt the slow flush of color that suffused her entire body, driving away the last vestiges of Fresion cold and leaving in its wake a warm, tingling sensation. She stared at Riddick, held captive by the gleam in his silver eyes. It was with supreme effort that she dragged her gaze from his and concentrated on quieting the riotous beating of her heart.

She didn't believe for a moment that she was actually in any danger. Quite the opposite, in fact. Despite his daunting appearance and crude manner, she realized she felt safe for the first time in years. For so long, she'd had to rely on her own wits and quick reflexes to survive. She might look fragile, but appearances were deceptive. As she suspected they were with Riddick. While she was under no illusions about the sort of man he was, her gut instincts told her he wouldn't harm her without a good reason. And she wasn't about to give him one.

"Well, while you're thinking," she said, pushing herself to her feet, "I'm going to check on the pilot." She paused. "Thank you...for taking both of us with you." She didn't look at him, but she could feel his eyes on her, assessing her. When he didn't answer, she ducked her head and made her way aft to where Captain Terran was still slouched unconscious in her seat. Kylie removed the pilot's thermal head gear and unzipped the enveloping suit just enough to peel back the fabric and examine the wound to her shoulder. It oozed very little blood and didn't appear to be life-threatening. Kylie wondered what other, unseen injuries the pilot had sustained.

"Do you have any anestiphine on board?" she called over to Riddick. "Or something to combat infection?"

"Yeah, right," he muttered in derision. "Like it would have lasted the five years I was stuck on that rock."

Kylie's eyes widened. Five years? She wondered how anyone could have survived that long on Fresion. Even for a man of Riddick's reputed survival skills, it couldn't have been easy. Reluctantly, she acknowledged she felt a tiny bit of admiration for the man who had managed to overcome such insurmountable odds.

"Okay," she finally said. "So you have no medical supplies on board, no food that I can see, and if this bucket of bolts manages to get us out of this galaxy, it will be a miracle." She turned to stare at Riddick's broad back, seeing his face reflected in the glass of the cockpit window. "So where do we go from here? Captain Terran needs medical attention. You don't even have sleeping pods on this heap. How far do you think we're going to get?"

"Far enough." He reached overhead and flipped several switches. "At least to the nearest colonized planet."

Kylie frowned and returned to the small jump seat beside Riddick. Leaning forward, she studied the illuminated celestial map that glowed on the control panel. "Well, according to this, the nearest inhabited planet is Antellion Prime." She bit her lip. "I don't know much about that planet."

"I do." Riddick's voice was grim.

Kylie stared at him, a shiver of foreboding tracing itself along her spine. "Why doesn't that sound reassuring?"

Riddick smiled humorlessly. "Because Antellion Prime is a cesspool of humanity. If you don't want to be found, it's a good place to get lost. Every sick fuck from every known galaxy eventually ends up on that planet." He gave a snort of disgust. "Even the bounty hunters don't go there."

"So why are we?"

He turned his head to look at her. Kylie wished he would remove his goggles. It unnerved her, not being able to see his eyes.

"We've got no choice," he finally said, and turned his attention away from her.

Kylie stared at him, willing him to reassure her; to tell her that he didn't really intend to bring her to Antellion Prime. His attention remained focused on the ship, however, ignoring her as completely as if she weren't even there.

"Do you have a plan for when we reach the planet?" she found herself asking. "You can't possibly mean for us to stay there." She gave a disbelieving laugh. "If what you say is true, we won't last an hour! And if anyone discovers who I really am..." Her voice trailed away as she contemplated the various unpleasant fates that awaited her should that come to pass. "It's suicide."

"It's the only chance we have."

Kylie didn't miss the importance of the word "we" and she clung to the small hope that he did, indeed, mean to keep her with him. "How long do we have to stay there?" she asked.

Riddick turned to look at her then, and through the thick beard that obscured his face, she saw him smile. "I intend to stay just long enough to jack another ship." He glanced around the small compartment. "One that's in a little better shape than this one."

"But you'll take me and the Captain with you, right?" she persisted.

"I already told you, Princess," he drawled, "that depends on how well you... persuade me."


	9. Chapter 9

CHAPTER NINE

Riddick brought the ship in low, under cover of darkness. He turned off the main engines and the running lights, wanting to attract as little attention as possible from the inhabitants of Antellion Prime. He avoided the heavily guarded landing strip that had been carved out of the rock just beyond the city limits, choosing instead to bring the craft to a grinding, shuddering stop on a small spit of open land on the opposite side of the squalid city.

Antellion Prime was as inhospitable a place as any Riddick had ever encountered, and that included the frozen wasteland of Fresion. The entire planet was comprised of razor-edged juttings of rock that thrust themselves upward seemingly overnight, the result of an overactive planetary core. The geography of the land changed frequently as new mountain ranges appeared and old ones collapsed, sucked back into the planet's center. It made living there treacherous, to say the least. As a result of the constantly shifting ground, the communities that sprung up were hastily and poorly constructed. It was only through trial and error and decades of earthquakes and death, that an area had been discovered that seemed mostly free from the geographical shiftings.

It was here that the city of Viron had been constructed; a veritable warren of crudely constructed shacks and buildings, interspersed by twisting alleyways and tunnels. If a bounty hunter was foolish enough to pursue his quarry through the maze of leaning, groaning buildings, he would be hard-pressed to know which direction to go. The buildings themselves contained numerous holes in their walls that led to more passageways and tunnels, twisting and turning back on themselves so that those unfamiliar with the terrain would soon find themselves hopelessly lost. And if you became lost, there was no hope of ever being found.

Murderers, thieves, rapists, and worse congregated in the flash houses, gin mills, and opium dens that could be found on every corner, waiting to pounce on the unwary. They had no sense of honor; they would willingly cut their own mother's throat if it meant a momentary gain for themselves.

Riddick wasn't worried. He'd handled worse than Antellion Prime had to offer. But there was no question the two females would make it more challenging to get through the city unscathed. The vermin that infested the squalid tenements would flock to them like flies to shit.

After shutting down the auxiliary power, Riddick opened the exit hatch and lowered himself cautiously to the ground, his eyes scanning the area around the craft for any signs of life. His night vision told him there was nobody nearby, although he knew they had only minutes before the entire area would be swarming with looters.

Looking back up into the ship, he stretched his arms upward. "Pick up the pace, Princess, or I'll leave your ass here."

He heard her grunt with effort, and then she lowered the unconscious form of Captain Terran into his waiting arms. He threw the pilot's limp body over his shoulder and raised his free hand to assist the girl to the ground, smiling when she pointedly refused him. She leaped nimbly to the ground beside him.

"So this is the evil Antellion Prime?" she asked, and Riddick heard the doubt in her voice. "Doesn't seem so bad to me."

"Oh yeah? Give it a few minutes." He took her arm, feeling her stiffen. "C'mon, we'll head this way. There's a safe spot in those hills." He jerked his head in the direction of several outcroppings of jagged rock in the distance.

Propelling the girl along beside him, they jogged across the open clearing. Glancing back over his shoulder he saw flickering orange shadows moving swiftly toward the space craft from the outskirts of the city. With his night vision, he could see their body heat. He estimated there were at least two dozen of them, closing in on the area where they had been standing just minutes earlier.

"C'mon, Princess," he growled, increasing his strides. "Move your ass!"

In minutes, they reached the rocky outcropping and Riddick used his free hand to shove the girl up and into the sheltering boulders. Still, they didn't stop. He pushed Kylie ahead of him, steering her through the maze of rocks until they reached a small opening between two enormous outcroppings of stone. It formed a small cave of sorts, and leaning down, Riddick lowered the Captain's limp form into the cramped space. Without pausing, he grabbed the girl's arm and dragged her forward.

"In you go, Princess," he commanded.

As he had known she would, she balked. "No way! I am not crawling into that hole."

"The hell you're not," he said grimly, and forcibly shoved her forward until she tumbled on her hands and knees beside Captain Terran. On all fours, she turned and peered up at him.

"What? Not going to join us?" she asked, softly jeering.

"I'll be back for you," he said. "Keep your mouth shut, unless you want more company than you're willing to handle."

Without waiting for a reply, he put his hands against an enormous boulder that stood just outside the entrance to the makeshift cave, and applied all his strength to it, grunting with the effort it took to roll it in front of the entrance. He heard the girl's startled cry of protest at being shut in, and then there was silence as the rock settled into place, sealing the women into the cave.

Riddick sprinted back toward the ship, keeping low in the shadows. As he had known they would, the looters were swarming over the small craft, stripping it bare and stealing whatever they could carry. He didn't give a shit. They wouldn't live long enough to benefit from their stolen loot.

Circling the ship, Riddick made note of the thieves who had been strategically positioned to protect the perimeter. They were heavily armed. He grinned humorlessly. These were the ones he wanted. In order to reach the heavily guarded landing strip on the other side of Viron, he'd have to negotiate his way through the entire city. With two clueless females in tow. He'd never make it without a little added fire power.

The first guard never knew what hit him. Riddick pounced on him, swiftly and silently, twisting his head in one savage moment that snapped his neck. Quietly, keeping his eyes on the remaining guards, Riddick stripped the man of his automatic weapon and ammunition, slinging the gun over his shoulder and shoving the ammo into the deep pockets of his jersey.

An argument broke out among several of the thieves who were removing electronic equipment from the cockpit of the ship. Riddick kept his eye on the men, and when the confrontation erupted into a deadly gunfight, he used the distraction to swiftly dispatch four more guards, driving his own shiv deep into their backs. He swiftly retrieved their weapons, slinging them over his shoulders until his chest and back were criss-crossed with an accumulation of deadly artillery, ammunition, and a length of chain.

He retrieved several homemade grenades from the pockets of his last victim. They were crudely constructed, but would serve his purpose well. He moved stealthily back toward the ship, blending into the surrounding shadows as if he was a part of them. When he was directly beneath the exit hatch, he silently slid one of the grenades into a gas transfer outlet and then pulled the pin on a second one and rolled it gently into the open hatch of the ship itself. Then, not caring if he was seen, he turned and began sprinting away in the direction of the distant rock formation, arms and legs pumping with a surge of adrenaline. He heard the cries of the men as he was spotted, followed by sporadic gunfire. The ground around him exploded in a series of small, popping sounds as bullets sprayed the rocky terrain. He stopped and turned, dropping to one knee as he brought one of the automatic rifles to his shoulder. He swept the area with gunfire and then flung himself facedown on the ground as the ship suddenly exploded in a white-hot fireball of flame and debris.

He leapt to his feet and began running again as the flaming debris shot around him. He didn't look back as a second explosion rocked the ground beneath him. He settled into an easy jog, the arsenal of weapons he carried bumping against his body with each stride. A glance back over his shoulder revealed a smoldering pile of ruined and twisted metal where the ship had once been. His night vision revealed no sign of life.

Reaching the cave, he rolled the boulder away from the entrance. The girl burst forth as if propelled by some unseen force. She was furious.

"Don't you ever, ever do that to me again," she said, her voice tight with suppressed fury. "Where were you? What was that explosion?"

"That, Princess, was our ship going up in flames, along with a couple dozen criminal elements."

Her eyes widened. "A couple dozen?" Her gaze swept over him, noting the impressive array of weaponry he carried. "Are those from...?"

"From the looters who would have killed us if we'd still been there. Figured I should get something in return for the ship. They did not know who they were fucking with."

Kylie blew out her breath and swiped a hand across her face. "Okay, so now what? You have enough ammo to wipe out half the cons on this planet. What's next?"

Riddick grinned then. Reaching up, he slid one of the guns off his shoulder, and unwound the length of chain he'd slung around his shoulders. Reaching out, he caught he girl by her upper arm and hauled her toward him. Before she could protest, he wound the chain around her slender waist and secured it with a lock that he snapped shut with decisive click.

"What the...?" She looked at him, baffled.

"You're my prisoner, Princess."

He heard her swiftly indrawn breath, and then she tried desperately to shove the length of offending chain from her body, but it was cinched tight around her narrow waist. "Release me this instant," she hissed, her eyes blazing, but Riddick could hear a trace of fear in her voice.

"Relax, Princess," he drawled. "It's for your own good. The only way we're going to get through the city is if the fuckers who live there believe you're mine."

"What do you mean?"

"Nobody is going to fuck with me. You and the pilot...you're something else altogether. They'll want you for themselves; will try to take you from me unless they understand you belong to me. From here on, you're my prisoners and I'm holding you for ransom. Those sick shits won't like it, but they'll understand it. They still might try and take you, but they will not succeed."

"You're crazy," she breathed. "We'll never make it. We'll all be killed."

In response, Riddick leaned down and dragged Captain Terran from the small cave by her ankles. She groaned in protest, but did not open her eyes. As easily as if she weighed no more than a child, Riddick hefted her over one shoulder. Then he wrapped the loose end of chain around his fist, and jerked Kylie forward.

"Then I suggest you keep your mouth shut and do exactly what I tell you to do. Let's go, Princess," he commanded softly, "we've got a lot of ground to cover tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

CHAPTER TEN

The stench was the first thing Kylie noticed as they approached the city. It was a vile odor of raw sewage, rotting garbage, decay, and sickness. She gagged and flung an arm over her nose and mouth.

"Oh my God," she gasped, "what is that smell?"

"Life on Antellion Prime, Princess."

Kylie stared at Riddick, unable to believe the overpowering stench didn't offend him as much as it did her. But his steps never faltered, and if he was feeling at all fatigued from carrying the unconscious captain over his shoulder, he gave no sign of it. In fact, it was all Kylie could do to keep up with his long strides.

"We need to get Captain Terran to a doctor," she said, concerned by the fact the other woman had not yet regained consciousness. "I don't think we can wait to steal another ship and get her to a safer planet. Don't you know anyone here who can help her?"

Riddick chuckled. "Sure, they can help her. Right into an early grave."

"I think she has internal injuries. She could die unless we get her some help."

Riddick stopped walking so abruptly that Kylie plowed into him. He turned his head and impaled Kylie with a hard, silvery glare. "What are you suggesting, Princess?"

Kylie gestured helplessly. "I don't know...don't you have any connections on this planet?"

Riddick gave a snort. "You think because I'm a convicted murderer that I associate with these sick fucks? That I befriend them?" He gave her a scathing look and then turned and began walking once more, yanking Kylie along behind him.

"No," she began, trying to explain. "I just thought...maybe you knew someone who could help her."

"Actually," he said over his shoulder, "there's this guy who used to be in Slam with me. He was a doctor once. Before his wife left him. Before he became an opium addict. Before he accidentally killed some guy on the operating table because he was too fucked up to know what he was doing. Last I heard, he was here on Antellion Prime, too doped out to care about anything. Might still be here, too. That the kind of guy you're looking for, Princess?"

Kylie frowned at his back. "No, of course not."

"Then shut up and keep up." He gave the chain a yank, nearly jerking Kylie off her feet.

"I don't think I've ever met anyone as unfeeling, obnoxious, and inhuman as you," she

muttered.

"I'll take that as a compliment." She heard the smile in his voice.

They had entered the city, and as they made their way through the narrow, twisting passageways that served as streets, Kylie tried not to look at her surroundings. They were being watched. She had seen the pathetic souls who sat huddled together in the dark alleyways, their faces gaunt and shadowed, their boney wrists and ankles protruding from clothing that was torn, filthy and sizes too small. They passed a woman who clutched an infant against her breast, and Kylie winced. She was certain the baby was dead; had been dead for some time.

In addition to the homeless souls who watched their passing with bleak eyes, Kylie was aware of others who also watched. Shadowy, furtive figures who appeared in the open windows of the rickety buildings that towered over them. Kylie fancied she could hear their eager whisperings to one another, feel their greedy hands reaching for her, smell their fetid breath.

She moved closer to Riddick's solid bulk.

They passed a flash house that was vibrating with the rhythm of some dark, pulsating music. The door was thrown open and as they passed, Kylie got a glimpse inside. Figures coupled frantically in corners while others sprawled on the floor amidst a thick, smoky haze. A man leaned against the exterior wall and watched them through narrowed, red-rimmed eyes. His hair was lank and greasy and hung in limp disarray over a face that bore a puckered scar along one cheek, drawing the lip up in a mocking sneer. He slid back inside the building as they passed. A movement overhead caught her attention and glancing upward, she realized there were figures crawling along the rooftops, following them as they navigated their way through the narrow streets.

"Um, Riddick?"

He grunted in reply.

"I'm not sure, but I think—I think we're being followed."

"You just figure that out?" he asked sardonically. "Actually, there are thirteen of them. They're not just following us; they're laying in wait for us."

Kylie couldn't suppress her gasp.

"There are five on the rooftops," Riddick continued, as casually as if they were discussing the weather, "three more inside the building on our left, two behind us, and three more in the alleyway up ahead, waiting for us."

Before Kylie could ask what he intended to do, he yanked hard on the chain and shoved her through an open door on their right, following close behind her. They were in a brothel. Both men and women sprawled on stained and tattered sofas in various stages of undress as they pleasured each other. Kylie paused, arrested by the sights before her. She wasn't ignorant, but the blatant sexuality that surrounded her caused her eyes to widen. She didn't have time to appreciate the full extent of the talent that surrounded them, however, as Riddick made a growling sound of impatience and shoved her ahead of him down a dimly lit corridor.

"C'mon, Princess," he rasped. "If you're that fascinated, I'd be happy to teach you a few tricks. Later."

Kylie stumbled, then regained her footing and allowed Riddick to propel her through a twisting maze of corridors and rooms until they emerged once more into the night. Swiftly, keeping to the shadows near the buildings, Riddick pushed her ahead of him until without warning, he dragged her into the relative sanctuary of a dead end alleyway and pushed her up against the wall. He deposited Captain Terran onto the ground beside her.

"Stay here, don't move," he said, his voice rough and low.

"Where are you going?" she hissed in a desperate whisper.

"Got to shake the cons on our tail."

"But you're coming back. Right?" She hated the way her voice sounded. Scared.

But it wasn't until Riddick's silver eyes dropped meaningfully to his chest that Kylie realized she was clutching the front of his jersey in both fists, reluctant to let him out of her sight. Even with his long hair and shaggy beard and moustache, he was infinitely more appealing than the creatures she'd caught sight of since they'd entered the city of Viron. And what he'd said…about teaching her a few tricks. The very thought of Riddick teaching her anything of that particular nature made her feel oddly warm and tingly inside. She felt both overheated and shivery at the same time.

He leaned in toward her, until Kylie could feel the heat that radiated from his large body. He inhaled deeply, breathing in her scent. Kylie wanted to curl into him, to let him surround her with his strength. When he stepped away from her, she felt bereft.

"I'll be back," he said. His voice was husky and caused a shiver to go through Kylie. He pressed something cold and heavy into her hands. "Use this if you need to."

Then he was gone. Kylie stared at the automatic weapon in her hands and then at the spot where Riddick had exited the alleyway. She was alone.

Bending down, Kylie checked on Captain Terran. The other woman's skin felt hot to the touch and her pulse was thready. Scooting over to the opening of the alleyway, Kylie crouched in the darkness and listened. The night was filled with sounds that were both foreign and frightening. Somewhere, a scream reverberated on the air; a scream that sounded almost inhuman in its pain.

Kylie caught her breath when she heard the unmistakable sounds of a scuffle from somewhere in the darkness. There was the meaty sound of fists hitting solid flesh, and the sounds of men grunting with effort. She heard the sound of splintering wood, as if something large had crashed through a wall, and then the noises grew more distant. She closed her eyes when she heard several muffled popping sounds; the sound of a gun being fired in rapid succession, and then silence.

Silently, carrying her chains lest the sound they make reveal her location, she crept back to where Captain Terran lay on the ground, and crouched over her with the gun aimed toward the entrance of the alley. If Riddick wasn't coming back; if the men who had stalked them through the city somehow tracked her to this alley, then she'd be damned if she'd go quietly. She'd take as many of them with her as she could.

But even so, she was unprepared when an enormous black shape filled the entrance. Before she could raise her weapon and fire, the figure launched itself at her. She found herself spread-eagled on her back, pinioned under a warm, heavy weight. The gun she'd been holding went skittering across the alleyway into the darkness. She was preparing to scream when a large hand covered her mouth. Through the panic that clogged her throat and seemed to immobilize her, she realized she recognized her captor. Both the feel of him and the smell of him were familiar. And in the moments before he removed his hand, Kylie was aware of something else, too. It was a feeling of nervous anticipation. He had captured both her hands in one of his own and held them over her head. His body had settled intimately over her own. She could feel the hard bulk of him pressing against her breasts, his muscular thighs intruding against her own.

She forced herself to relax and was rewarded when he removed his hand. She saw the silvery glint of his eyes in the darkness just before he bent his head and covered her lips with his own. His mouth was hot and sweet. The intensity of the kiss was primal, designed to imprint himself on her, both physically and emotionally; to claim her as his own. Kylie moaned softly and arched herself against him, wanting more. Needing more.

He dragged his mouth from hers, and Kylie was certain his breathing was heavier, more rapid. He lifted his head and gazed down at her. "Told you I'd be back," he rasped softly.

"Great," she heard herself respond. Was that her voice that sounded so breathless and shaky? "Maybe now we can find another ship and leave this hell-hole behind us."

There was a momentary silence. "Something I gotta do first, Princess."

Kylie shoved at the broad thrust of his shoulders, and he rolled off her. She pushed herself into a sitting position, hating that he could see her so clearly while he was nothing more than an enormous, hulking shadow in the darkness beside her.

"What?" she asked, frustration making her voice tight. "What do you have to do that's more important than getting us off this planet? You said it yourself; it's a cesspool of humanity. Why the fuck can't we leave right now?"

There was a brief silence, and when Riddick finally spoke, his words fell between them with all the impact of a proteon bomb. "Because I saw Jack. And I'm not leaving here without her."


	11. Chapter 11

CHAPTER ELEVEN

Riddick saw the disbelief on the girl's face, replaced by eagerness and a fierce determination.

"Are you sure it was her? I mean, it's pretty dark out here. Maybe you were mistaken. Besides, the last I heard, she was on Helion Prime."

Despite the doubt in her voice, Riddick sensed the girl's excitement. She wanted it to be Kyra. Jack. Whatever the fuck name she went by these days.

"No mistake," he said. "It was her." As if he could possibly be mistaken about something like that.

"So why'd you let her go? Where is she now?" Kylie leapt to her feet and would have sprinted out of the alleyway if he hadn't hauled her back against his chest, flailing in protest.

"You don't want to go out there."

"The hell I don't! Let me go right now. Damn you, Riddick!" She twisted in his grasp, but escape was futile. "Maybe I can still find her."

He released his vice-like hold on her, and took hold of the chain around her waist, wrapping the loose end around his fist. "We don't find her. She'll find us."

The girl gave a grunt of protest as he dragged her forward and bent down to scoop Captain Terran into his arms and position her limp form over his shoulder once more.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Kylie hung back, forcing him to half-drag her out of the alley. "She doesn't even know I exist, has no idea we're sisters. What makes you think she'll come looking for us?"

"Because she knows I'm here."

Kylie was silent after that.

They made their way through the dark city. He backtracked several times, making sure they weren't being followed, before he finally stopped in front of a dilapidated building whose door and windows were haphazardly boarded over. It looked to be an abandoned warehouse of sorts. Riddick kicked the door in with one booted foot and stepped back, indicating Kylie should precede him into the building.

As they made their way through the debris-strewn rooms, Riddick heard the furtive rustlings of small animals that had taken up residence in the abandoned structure. He picked them out clearly with his night vision. Feral cats, mostly. He peered into each room they passed, until finally he stopped at the doorway of one.

"We'll stay here tonight."

Kylie peered past him into the gloom and he felt her shudder. "Can't we keep moving?"

Riddick didn't answer. He entered the room and swept his gaze around the interior. There was a soiled mattress on the floor in the corner, along with several discarded articles of clothing. Through a narrow doorway beyond the mattress, he saw a tiny bathroom.

He deposited the unconscious pilot onto the mattress and stepped into the bathroom. He didn't need artificial light to see his surroundings; he did better in the pitch black, but he could smell the girl's fear. She didn't like the dark.

Pulling the antiquated chain affixed to the overhead light fixture, he was rewarded when there was a static flickering of light that alternately dimmed, brightened, and dimmed again, illuminating the tiny room and revealing just how truly squalid it really was. He turned the faucet on the sink and a thin trickle of brown liquid splashed into the filthy bowl.

"C'mon, Riddick," Kylie urged, hovering in the doorway. "We don't have to stay here."

"Why not?" he asked sardonically. "It's got all the comforts of home."

"It's disgusting."

"Like I said before, Princess…you're soft. I've seen worse. Much worse."

He watched as she moved slowly around the small room, her face a mixture of horror and disgust. "So how do you know it was my sister you saw out there, huh? After all, it's been….what, five years since you've seen her? A person can change a lot in five years. Besides, the last reports I had, she was on Helion Prime."

"She's changed. But some things you can't hide."

She looked sharply at him. "What do you mean, changed?"

"First, you tell me what you know of Jack."

She blew her breath out in frustration. "I found your holy man, Imam. He said Kyra ran away five years ago, right after you left them. She was going after you. Instead, she got herself into trouble and killed a man. The last I heard, she'd hooked up with a group of mercenaries. She's a wanted woman, Riddick, and it's not just you and me who want to find her."

Riddick watched as she walked back to the mattress where the captain lay, the loose end of chain dragging behind her and echoing eerily in the vacant room. She used her foot to kick aside debris, and bent over the unconscious woman. She laid the back of her hand against the other's forehead.

"Jesus, Riddick." Her voice was filled with fear. "She's burning up. We really need to get some help here, or she's going to die."

Riddick ignored her, leaning against the doorjamb with his arms crossed over his chest. "So Jack hooked up with some merc's." He gave a laugh that sounded harsh. "Stupid goddamned thing to do."

"Yeah," Kylie agreed. "Stupid. What's even more stupid is you thinking you saw her out there. I'm telling you, she's on Helion Prime. I have excellent sources who have confirmed sightings of her there."

"Fuck your sightings, Princess."

Kylie, crouched on her heels beside the mattress, whirled in his direction. He could see the fury in her eyes. "No, fuck you. I will not stay on this goddamned planet for one more second, do you hear me?" She pushed herself to her feet. "Whatever you saw out there, it wasn't my sister."

With a low growl, Riddick plucked her off the ground by front of her flightsuit, hauling her upward until her face was no more than a hair's breadth from his own. She gasped. Her eyes were wide. He could smell her fear. And beneath that, something else. Something he didn't want to acknowledge. Something she had no right to feel, especially toward him. Especially now, in this shit hole, with cons slithering through the streets, sniffing for them.

"You say you've never even seen your sister, Princess," he sneered. "I have, remember? And I say it was Jack. Just not the Jack I remember, or the Kyra you want to find."

"Why?" The word was scarcely more than a whisper.

His nostrils flared briefly, dragging in her scent. She smelled good. She smelled of clean sweat and sweet woman. She smelled wholesome and healthy. Alive. It was intoxicating. And dangerous.

"Your sister is a carrier."

There was a momentary silence. "A what?"

"A carrier. She's diseased. I could see it on her face; smell it on her." He released the front of Kylie's flight suit, allowing her to drop to the ground.

He watched as she passed a hand over her face. "No, that can't be." She jerked her head up and stared hard at Riddick. "What kind of disease?"

"The worst kind. The kind that kills you slow and painful. Necrotizing cerebellitis."

He watched as Kylie continued to stare at him. "But that's--that's impossible. That disease kills you within days. If she had the disease, she'd be bedridden or already dead, not stalking the streets of Antellion Prime."

"I said she was a carrier. Probably why she got dumped here."

"How can you tell she's a carrier?"

"She's got all the signs; the dark splotches on the skin, especially her face. And her eyes..."

Kylie drew in her breath, as though steeling herself against a physical blow. "What about her eyes?" Her voice was low.

"They're bloody."

He watched as Kylie closed her eyes in defeat, and then sank to her knees and covered her face. He knew how she felt. They'd found Jack, and she was worse than dead.

As a carrier of the disease, Jack would be a pariah, shunned by all who came into contact with her. He wondered how she'd contracted the disease that, for most victims, slowly ate away your brain, until it was nothing more than gray soup. Eventually, it would find its way out of your skull through the ears, eyes, nose, and mouth. Even minute contact with an infected person could bring on the disease.

But to be a carrier was infinitely worse. The disease caused acute headaches and hemorrhaging of the tiny blood vessels beneath the skin, which marked you as a carrier, but didn't kill you. It played hell with your sense of reality and many carriers became raving lunatics.

"So now what?" Kylie raised her face to his. Her eyes swam with unshed tears. "We can't bring her with us; she could infect us all. There's no cure for what she has."

"I won't leave her here. And as for a cure...I've heard things."

Kylie frowned. "What kinds of things?"

"There's a holy man on the planet Xiona. They say he can cure the disease."

Kylie snorted. "Yeah, I've heard all about that holy man. Trust me, the cure is worse han the disease. You'd be doing Kyra a favor by leaving her here."

Riddick made a low growling sound. "We don't leave without her, Princess."

Kylie shuddered. "If what you say is true, then you've condemned us all to die."


End file.
